


Shaky Hands

by blklightpixie26



Series: Whompfest 2019 [1]
Category: The Great Library Series - Rachel Caine
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/F, Post Sword and Pen, Sword and Pen Spoilers, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-02
Updated: 2019-10-02
Packaged: 2020-11-10 15:15:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,578
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20853872
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blklightpixie26/pseuds/blklightpixie26
Summary: Glain wants only two things after things settle down, but only one can be acquired. When she goes to the one person that can help her, she gets more than what she expects.





	Shaky Hands

**Author's Note:**

> A huge Thank you! goes out to blessedharlot, thegreatlibraryfangirl, and coffeesandlibraries. Without you I would still be staring at the list wondering if it was at all possible.
> 
> This was done as part of Whompfest 2019. The Prompt was for Day 1: Shaky Hands

Lieutenant Glain Wathen walked into the Iron Tower still wearing her grief like a shroud. There was nothing that could be seen outwardly, but inside Glain was dying. She still remembered the moment the Greek fire lit and the hellish flames took over the section of the Great Archives. Her dreams filled with the last stolen kiss from Morgan as they worked to stop the insane plot by the former Archivist. Those dreams always ended the same, Glain’s heart in shreds and Morgan dead due to flames and lack of oxygen.

“Can I help you?”

“Obsurcist Magus Wolfe.” Glain replied.

The young woman stared at her. “You need an appointment to see him. May I set one up for you?”

She shook her head. “I need to see Obscurist Magus Wolfe. Today.”

“I’m sorry, Lieutenant. It’s not possible.”

“What is it, Elissa?” a commanding voice came from the stairwell.

The woman looked up to see whom it was and paled. “I’m sorry, sir. The lieutenant as come looking to speak with you, but she will not accept that an appointment needs to be made.”

Dark eyes stared at Glain before shaking his head. “Clear my schedule for the next two hours. I am not to be disturbed.”

“But sir.”

Eskander glared. “Whatever it is that you think I need to be doing, can wait until I help Miss Wathen.”

“Yes, Sir.” She bowed and went to do as he asked.

Eskander lead her up to his personal rooms. Call it intuition, but he had the feeling that it would not be a good thing to have their discussion in his office. He ordered two cups of tea and some snacks before motioning to Glain to sit. “I did not expect to ever see you here.”

Glain sat down with a blank in her hands. She could see Wolfe so clearly in this man, or perhaps it was this man so clearly in Wolfe. “I did not know whom else to talk to about this without causing more issues than necessary.”

“So you came straight to the source.” he smiled.

“Yes, Sir. I know any of the obscurists can help me, but it is another matter altogether to have one of the decide to report me.”

Eskander at back intrigued. “What can I do for you which could cause such a reaction?”

She lifted the blank with a slight tremor in her hand. She didn’t know this man, but she knew that she has to take the chance anyway. “I would like to make e request. The Library is in a state of change right now, and I do not pretend to know what will be monitored or what will be released from the grip of the Library.”

The Obscurist took the blank and looked at it. Glain’s name was imprinted on it, but it was obviously not the usual blank. “Journals have yet to be discussed. I assume you know that these are private.”

“I also know from Scholar Wolfe and Lord Commander Santi that the Library is known to read private correspondence whether it’s letters or journals if they so choose.”

“Let it to my son and his partner to learn that fact.” he leafed through the blank pages thinking of all the things that he would have liked to write down, but never did in case someone had decided to read his journals. “What can I help you with?”

Glain stared at her hands, her voice quiet but hopeful. “I was hoping that you would be willing to remove whatever it is that they have on these, so that they cannot be read by anyone but myself.”

“Something you wish to hide, Miss Wathen?”

“I would like to be able to speak to someone freely, even if she cannot speak back to me.” Glain’s voice hitched slightly yet she pulled herself back together as quickly as possible. “I don’t think the living would understand.”

“You would be surprised, child.” Eskander walked over to a shelf taking down a blank then took his seat again. Without a second thought to having others want the same thing, Eskander removed the overseer scripts on both then offered them to her. “If it were directly connect me to Kiera I would be requesting the same thing. I take it that you wish to speak with Morgan.”

Glain cradled the two books as if they were the most precious thing in the world. “Yes sir. There are so many things that I want to talk to her about. Tell her things I never had the nerve to say when she was still alive and see her face when she knew.”

“If you allow me to know when you are halfway through the second, I will have two more created for you.”

“Thank you, Sir,” Glain stood up still having one more question, but keeping quiet because of how much he had given her all ready.

Eskander watched her closely. “You know that her family has not been in contact with us to acquire her personal things.”

“Morgan had personal things?” The young Garda turned back to him.

“She did.” he stood up with an odd look on his face. “I do not think that they were even packed away to be returned to her family yet. Would you care to join me?”

Glain nodded silently following him to the room which Morgan shared with Annis. There was a near physical pain at seeing the windowless room and knowing how much the other young woman would feel trapped there. She picked up the shirt left on the bed and tried not to become emotional. “Everything of hers is still here.”  
“Would you like to claim these items?” Eskander asked gently. “I can always say that they were mislabeled and have no idea where any of it went.”

Glain nodded gathering items together which she knew that were Morgan’s. The little bird music box which Thomas made for her, a piece of shrapnel from which might have been Philadelphia. Morgan’s clothes were next, folded carefully and placed into a box which Eskander had given her. “The Obscurist robes,”

“Are yours if you want them. They are her personal property even if it causes bad memories.”

Two robes caught Glain’s attention not due to color, but size. Between the two of them, Glain had always been the larger of the two due to her training regimen. It surprised her to see that two robes were more her size than Morgan’s smaller frame. “These aren’t hers.”

“She requested them not long before her death.” Eskander replied sitting on Annis’ bed watching as Glain fingered the robe she picked up. “Morgan said she wanted something that size because she could hide in them.”

Tears filled the Welsh girl’s eyes and her hands shook as she folded them carefully placing the bundle into the box. “They would be my size. She would sneak my clothes when I wasn’t looking and hide in them especially after her powers corrupted.”

“Morgan loves you, Miss Wathen.”

Glain looked away not wanting him to see the emotion. “She was the only one who understood the fine line I walk every day. Never sure if I would fall onto the female side and be at peace with it or the male and hate everything I look like. She just accepted me as I am.”

Eskander nodded. “As did Kiera myself. Go be at peace. If you ever need a place to be without the world, know that I will keep this room open for you.”

“Thank you sir.” She replied following him out the door and walked out of the Iron Tower conflicted with emotions which told of the wounds still raw and bloody inside, yet completely at peace.

That night Glain stripped off her uniform and untied the bindings over her chest. It felt good to allow the release, a feeling she didn’t normally get. After a quick shower and then dinner, Glain poured herself a drink and walked into the bedroom. She slipped into the robe and closed her eyes at the scent that wafted up from dark fabric. “I still can’t believe you are gone.” Glain whispered before picking up one of the journals in the box.

Her hands shook not knowing what to expect had been written in the book. Setting into the bed which suddenly seemed too big, Glain lost herself in reading everything which had been written for almost half the book. It was near one in the morning, when Glain picked up the journal that had it’s script altered and a pen.

‘Dearest Morgan,

It has been barely a month since you left me. I know why you did what you did, but you left so much unsaid and undone. I know that you cannot answer me but I will write the words anyway. Perhaps one day when we are reunited, I can speak them out loud. I love you. I miss you. I want you for my own.’

Glain rested her head on the pillow for the first time allowing the tears to fall for Morgan’s death. Her eyes closed and the journal was laid open on the bed ready for the entry to be finished when Glain could gather herself together again. The only thing she never got to see was the writing appear on the blank page adjacent to the journal entry just written.

‘I love you too. My Soldier, My Everything.’


End file.
